Saturday, October 31, 2009

Need to justify a November 1st spent eating nothing but candy? Point your mom to I Shudder author David Colman's NYTimes article, Living for Candy, and Sugar-Coated Goblins. In it, Colman schools overly-protective parents and no-nothing dentists as to how to live solely on sweets!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Jennifer Carrow is a graphic designer based out of Brooklyn, NY. Interviews with her are hella hard to find, leading me to believe that she's either a Greta Garbo-level recluse, or that she simply prefers to let her work speak for itself. (Yeah, I'm betting on the Garbo option, too.) Anyway, here's a small sampling of her playful and eye-catching artistry. To see more, click here.

In his new autobiography, Open, tennis legend Andre Agassi admits to using crystal meth, but remains suspiciously silent regarding his 80s hair.Update: Turns out, Agassi does address the hair. It was a wig!

Remember when I linked to that sanctimonious sensitive author's op-ed piece accusing modern crime fiction of misogyny? Well, The Guardian UK has posteda rebuttal.

And another update: Remember when I posted that link to the online petition urging Scholastic to include gay-friendly books in their school book fairs? Well, they've agreed -- to one book.

Jonathan Demme is planning to make an animated feature of Zeitoun, the best-selling Dave Eggers book about "a man’s true-life experiences in post-Katrina New Orleans." And I thought Shrek was depressing...

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pieby Alan BradleyWhen Flavia de Luce knocks An Elementary Study of Chemistry to the floor while scaling the bookshelves of her family’s library, her life is changed forever by a consuming fascination with chemistry. She spends her days on the top floor of the East Wing of Buckshaw, the ancestral home of the de Luces, in a glorious laboratory that once belonged to her eccentric Uncle Tarquin. Nothing gives her more joy than conducting experiments and studying poisons, much to the dismay of her sisters, Ophelia and Daphne. When her father is implicated in the death of a stranger found in their garden, Flavia resolves to use her scientific skills to exonerate him. There’s just one problem…Flavia is eleven years old.Alan Bradley has crafted one of the most charming sleuths ever. Flavia narrates the story with a voice that is clever, morbid, and hilarious. Opening up Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie to any page reveals dialog and prose that sparkle vivaciously, just like Flavia!

SFW! The title of this piece may sound like an episode of To Catch a Predator, but Erin Keane's Teen Books Lure Grown-Up Eyes is actually a fascinating look at the modern reader's Forever 21 mindset. (Via.)

WTF?! Also akin to an episode of To Catch a Predator, Reuters reports that a mob of paranoid parents in Beijing lynched a traveling book salesman after rumors spread that he was part of a human smuggling ring. Needless to say, he wasn't.

Controversy alert! Change.org has posted an online petition asking Scholastic to include gay-friendly books at book fairs. If it's a question of available space (note: it's not), they could make room by getting rid of some toys. (Via.)

Article Writing Tips has 5 things you should and shouldn't say to an editor. (Or, for head-game kicks, you can use all 10 and really throw 'em off balance. This is often referred to in women's magazines as 'giving off mixed signals,' and usually results in making women of low self-esteem want you all the more.)

Frightened that a small breach in copyright will open the floodgates to, say, an unauthorized lexicon, the lawyers in charge of protecting the Harry Potter(c) brand have put the kibosh on a "one-off" (and yet twice a year for the past few years) Harry Potter(c)-themed Halloween dinner party.

Not only are negative reviews easier and more fun to write than positive reviews, they're easier and more fun to read, too. So pick up a torch and join me and the mob as we heap hate upon a few recent releases in this week's installment of The Negative Review Round-Up.(Note: As most of us are lying, whorish, booksellers ready to sell our souls to make a softcover sale, I've also included small print links to some positive reviews. Feel free to crib liberally from these when dealing with the money-wielding masses.)